TOTO only makes softclosing residential seats.
I have sold thousands of them. I have almost never heard of a failed hinge. If it was an issue, I'm sure I would be getting calls.

On the other hand, I personally hear from previous customers that insist that they want the soft close with the next toilet they buy. I have thousands of past customers that love the seats. They helped sell the toilets in first place, and keep helping with the sales.

A few people that like things the way they were, don't like change. They tend to complain that the world has shifted and they don't like it. They don't like a lot of things and they make sure everyone knows they don't like stuff.

I do hear every day from happy customers that did like the seat. But you will never see "them" post that. They just keep buying.

Me..............I try to follow and hang out with happy people. It's much nicer.

Things I like about softclose.

They seem to last longer than standard seats. That's right. They last longer, and don't chip like painted seats.

I like that I don't have to touch them as much. If the seat if up, just start the thing, and it will finish dropping down easily by itself. It gets me to the lav faucet that much quicker to wash my hands.

I like that the colors match better with the seats. Though Bone on Bone is a tougher match than Cotton on Cotton.
The Bone won't be a perfect match no matter which seat you put on.

Kohler also makes some nice softclose seats.
When I install Kohler I make sure they get the Kohler softclose seats too.

Thank you for your prompt reply. I guess I got a little spooked by the posts I have read about the Toto soft-close seat hinge fluid leakage/failure. Thanks to your encouragement, I am sold on the Toto soft-close.

A question. I have read that all Toto elongated seats are same size, but that the seats come in two, three, or more shapes, depending on the model (some flatter, some fatter). I am looking for a traditional style and shape to fit my wide, heavy, traditional bottom. Can you recommend a model number?

For what it's worth, one way to make sure that your seats last the longest is not to press them down constantly. Just give them a nudge, and let them do their thing. Jim, who is an engineer, is I think the one that posited that constantly pushing them into place is probably what causes premature failure for those few people who experience/complain about that issue. The pushing stresses the seals by increasing the pressure in the chamber. The seats and hinges are not, definitely not, fragile, but maybe years of doing that by people who "wonder why it won't close" might cause the issue in a few circumstances. It's easy enough to explain to family members how to treat the seat, and the occasional confused guest isn't going to make any difference.